Love and Revenge
by Kristen3
Summary: AU scene from "Kansas." When Rumpelstiltskin confronts Zelena in prison, he must choose between the promise he made to Belle and his own desire to avenge Baelfire's death. Can he finally be the man Belle has always believed he was? One-shot. Rating is for harsh languge.


**Author's Note: **This idea has been in my head the last couple of days. I think we can all agree that Zelena being gone is the best thing for everybody in Storybrooke. But of course, Rumple broke his promise to Belle when he killed her. I wondered what might've happened if he'd been just a bit stronger. This resulted. I hope I've written both Rumpelstiltskin and Zelena in character! *hides*

Rumple knew what he had to do. He held the dagger in his hand as he quickly made his way to the jail. He would avenge his son's death no matter what. He knew lying to Belle was wrong, but he simply would not let Bae give his life for nothing. But just as he arrived at the sheriff's station, he stopped in his tracks. Belle's words played in his mind. "Promise me you won't give in to your hate. Promise me you won't go after Zelena. You're better than that."

But that was just it, Rumple wasn't better. His fate had been sealed ever since he gained control of this dagger, or more accurately, it had gotten control of him. He was the Dark One now. It was simple as that. As much as Rumple wanted to do what he'd come here to do, Belle's face remained in his mind. "No," he finally said out loud. "I came here for a reason, and I'm going to do what I came for."

Pushing aside his thoughts of Belle, he walked into the the sheriff's office, where the jail cell was. Seeing him enter, Zelena backed up against the wall. "What are you doing here? Regina has my pendant. I'm powerless."

Rumple walked right over to where the bars were. "I know that, dearie. That's why I came down here. You see this dagger?" He held up the object. "You can't control me with it anymore."

"I know that. Look, I know I've hurt a lot of people, but I can't hurt anyone anymore. Just leave me alone!"

"Oh, no, that's not quite what I had in mind." Rumple flicked his wrist, and he and Zelena were now on the same side of the bars. "Do you have any last words?" He held the dagger just above her heart.

"You have no idea what my life's been like," Zelena said. "My parents didn't love me. My own mother gave me up. But then she gave Regina everything." She made a face at the mention of her half-sister's name.

"Oh, you think I don't understand what it's like to have a parent abandon me? Think again. My father was Peter Pan."

Zelena flinched at the name. She'd heard a few stories over the years about how Pan would stop at nothing to protect the magic which kept him young. "He was your father?"

"Yes. So you're not the only one with a hard-luck story around here. But you're the one who's about to die for it."

Unable to think of a comeback, Zelena could only stare at the dagger. If he was going to kill her, so be it.

Rumple prepared to plunge the dagger into his chest. But just as he moved his hand, Belle's face appeared before him again. "You're better than this." He heard her voice inside his head.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Zelena asked when Rumpelstiltskin froze. "If you're going to kill me, get it over with."

The vision of Belle remained in front of Rumpelstiltskin's eyes. For whatever reason, she loved him. She believed he could be redeemed. For so long, he'd wanted to be with her, to finally get his happy ending. But his love of power always got in the way.

As if reading his mind, Belle's voice spoke again. "It doesn't have to be that way."

"Are you going to kill me now, or what?" Zelena asked.

He'd given Belle every reason not to trust him. And yet she continued to stay by his side. Maybe he _could _be the man she thought he was. But then he looked at Zelena again, remembering all she'd done to him, and everyone else in this town. He raised the dagger again. There was no more debating it. Zelena had to die.

But then a memory flashed in Rumpelstiltskin's mind. He'd gone off to Neverland on a suicide mission. He vowed defeat his father, even if it meant losing his life in the process. When he'd said goodbye to Belle at the docks, he'd truly believed he'd never see her again. But he did come back. It was because of her help that he'd found a way to get rid of Pan once and for all.

Maybe Regina was right. Maybe vengeance wasn't the answer. Becoming the Dark One had simply been a choice. It could be undone by making another choice. Killing Zelena would never bring his son back. All it would do is break Belle's heart. Could he really cause her more pain than she'd already been through?

Zelena saw that he was frozen. "No wonder Regina and her pathetic crew were able to thwart my plans. I see now that the Dark One can't even manage to kill a defenseless woman." She laughed malevolently.

Rumple sighed. "There is nothing I'd like more than to see your lifeless body on the ground. And if you think I'm worried about Emma or Regina catching me, think again, dearie. I'd probably get a commendation from the sheriff's office!" He giggled a bit, a leftover from his life in the Enchanted Forest.

"Well, then, what's taking you so long? I knew you had a reputation for being a coward, but I never imagined it was _this_ bad!"

"I have something you don't," Rumpelstiltskin said. "I have someone who loves me. Belle sees the good in me. I thought my last ounce of goodness was gone the moment Bae went through the portal. But not according to Belle."

"Well, isn't that _pretty_," Zelena said sarcastically. "You're choosing true love over killing me. Or is that just an excuse for your cowardice?"

"Look, I'm not expecting you to understand this. But I'm beginning to think Regina might have actually been right. Belle has given me more second chances than I could possibly deserve. I just wanted you to know that once you go back to the Enchanted Forest, if you make even _one_ wrong move, you'll wish Cora had never given birth to you in the first place!" He yelled, his face mere inches from hers.

Zelena cowered in the corner of her cell. She and Rumpelstiltskin had spent a lot of time studying magic together, but this was the first time she was ever genuinely afraid of him.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled at the fear he saw on her face. Belle might have urged him not to kill the evil witch, but he had no misgivings about scaring her. He flicked his wrist again, and popped back out of the cell. "Well, I'm glad we had this little chat, dearie. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a wedding to plan."

When he'd come into the sheriff's station, he had no idea what would happen. He didn't know if he would give in to his former ways, or choose something different. To his own surprise, he had actually managed to resist his usual desire for revenge. And there was no doubt how he'd done it: it was all thanks to Belle. He'd have to make sure to thank her on their honeymoon.

**The End**


End file.
